The middle parts of Vietnam were seen in a more or less rainy weather. It was still warm, but the different shades of grey made us choose a quicker route to Saigon. From Hoi An we took a night bus to coastal Nha Trang, which we left for a mountain town Da Lat a few days later. With better weather we would have stayed longer in both places, but the rain restricts a lot of the main activities such as renting motorbikes or water sports, so through them we went! However, we saw enough to realise the potential for another great Vietnam holiday. Without typhoons next time eh?

Rainy weather is the perfect time to try one of the local massages. However, it's good to keep in mind that in this particular field there are several entrepreneurs out there, offering some "extra services". Professional masseuse might mean something else than an unattractive physiotherapist in ergonomic sandals and tracksuit, talking medical jibberish. So be warned! The good news is that there are some warning signs: If the place is decorated with blinking christmas lights, if you can see the underwear of the receptionist or if you are the only female customer among European middle-aged men, take it as a sign of choosing again.

Once we reached Saigon, the weather got very hot and humid. The city seems somehow wealthier than the capital Hanoi, neon lights and brands occupying the view. But then again, communism has had a firmer and longer grip on the Northern capital than on this Southern metropol.

We also visited some war history sights. We took a bus to underground tunnels of Cu Chi which Vietkong utilized as supply tunnels, hiding places, hospitals etc during the Vietnam War. The purpose of the tunnels seems almost impossible once you see the width and hight of them. I could hardly fit in, let alone Libor - not a chance.

We also visited the War history museum, twice actually. This place was quite disturbing, and I claim that it is impossible to leave the place unmoved in some way. Vietnam war was at its time very well documented and televized, and a lot of the picture material has been put into this museum. Pictures speak so much louder than words - if you were not frowning, you were outside the building getting some air to prevent nausea. And here is the most disturbing part: The texts and the justifications remind you of the rhetorics used today in connection with the Iraq war. How sad to realise how little we have learned.